Stand changing units for continuous rolling mills



Dec. 31, 1968 K. ROTERT ETAL 3,418,838

STAND CHANGING UNITS FOR CONTINUOUS ROLLING MILLS Filed April 12, 1967 Sheet 1 of 4 IHIII'IIIIIIHTK I llL/il'lllllll ll llll Ilillll [I 52 Zn? .5 JWIO 5) awn/ 3 1 2 R :75

Dec. 31, 1968 I K. ROTERT ETAL. 3,418,838

STAND CHANGING UNITS FOR CONTINUOUS ROLLING MILLS Filed April 12, 1967 Sheet 2 0f 4 z/vVzwq ogy K11 6 @6806 and Ernst 06 60 360s.

1968 K. ROTERT ETAL 3,4 8,83

STAND CHANGING UNITS FOR CONTINUOUS ROLLING MILLS Filed April 12, 1967 I Sheet 3 'of 4 INWNVUIZS' 62:06 8060126 ma Bff'flf 0660 3605.

ww L

THEIR 47 7 0 V 1968 K. ROTERT ETAL 3, ,8

STAND CHANGING UNITS FOR CONTINUOUS ROLLING MILLS Filed April 12, 1967 Sheet 4 of 4 nvmwroes Kurd lfoep and By 7 056 0660 blas.

11:1 gm r5 United States Patent 0 3,418,838 STAND CHANGING UNITS FOR CONTINUOUS ROLLING MILLS Kurt Rotert, Dusseldorf-Genesheim, and Ernst Otto Blos,

Solingen-Ohligs, Germany, assignors to Kommanditgesellschaft Friedrich Kocks, Dusseldorf, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Apr. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 630,293 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 16, 1966, K 59,016 5 Claims. (Cl. 72239) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A stand changing unit for continuous rolling mills in which the roll stands are mounted on Wheels having grooves adapted to run on first rails which extend to a mill drive parallel to the drive axis and which wheels are transferred to transverse rails intersecting the first rails by means of separate wheel turntables at each rail intersection,

This invention relates to a stand changing unit for continuous rolling mills and particularly to stand changing apparatus enabling several rolling stand frames each carrying a plurality of interchangeable rolling stands to be alternately travelled on wheels with respect to a stationary gear unit driving the stands so that the stands mounted on the frame can be coupled and uncoupled.

The desirability of quickly changing stands in continuous mills has long been recognized and various attempts have been made to solve the problem of stand changes. For example, German Patent 1,054,409 describes a rolling mill equipped with fast interchangeable rolling stands, on which a plurality each of stands is ar ranged on two rolling stand frames supported by means of wheels, one rolling stand frame can be swivelled around a vertical axis beside the one end of the gear unit housing, whereas a second rolling stand frame of the same type can be swivelled around a vertical axis arranged beside the other end of the gear unit housing.

A disadvantage of the swivelling stand changing unit of this type rolling mill is that the stand frames cannot be removed from the rolling train, and therefore all work necessary for changing the stands arranged on the rolling stand frame has to be effected in the area of the rolling mill so that not only is the rolling stand frame swivelled out in each case, but also the necessary auxiliary equipment such as cranes, places of deposit and means for the supply and removal of rolling stands necessitate much space beside the rolling mill. For connecting the driving shafts of the rolling stands with the power takeoff shafts of the gear unit, especially designed couplings,

e.g. shifting couplings are needed. Moreover, only one rolling stand frame equipped with a certain set of rolling stands can be kept on hand in each case. This results in the other disadvantage that in case of unforeseen stand changing becoming necessary, eg because of failure of individual rolling stands during rolling or in case of changing in a short time to a rolling programme, for which the rolls kept on hand are not suited, the sequence of stands kept on hand has at first to be changed, this frustrating the purpose of the stand changing unit, namely to save time.

3,418,838 Patented Dec. 31, 1968 For avoiding these disadvantages, the objective of the present invention is to provide a rolling stand changing unit of the above described type so that any desired quantity of rolling stand frames with the rolling stands mounted on each can be alternatively put at disposal for an immediate use and the changing of the sequences of rolling stands can be made outside the range of the rolling mill, eg in an assembling shop arranged apart.

For this purpose, the interchangeable rolling stan'd frames shall be designed so that the stands mounted on same can be released or connected and can be as far as desired moved separately from the gear unit aside the rolling mill using single two-piece torque-couplings by means of a mere axial moving of the rolling stand frame.

This is realized by this invention in case of a stand changing unit for continuous rolling trains making it possible that several rollng stand frames each carrying a plurality of rolling stands can be alternatively travelled on wheels with respect to a stationary gear unit driving the stands so that same mounted on the frame can be coupled and uncoupled, by the fact that the rolling stand frames are exclusively carried by wheels and that these wheels are mounted in bearings swivelling around vertical axes as well as by the fact that each wheel is provided with a circumferential groove supporting same on rails or tracks, one of which tracks extends ahead of the rolling mill gear unit in the direction of the gear axles up to the side of the rolling mill, Where it crosses another track extending aside of the rolling mill generally parallel to the line of strip travel, and that at the crossing points of all tracks turntables are arranged swivelling around vertical axes by the crossing angle of the tracks, the common swivelling of same enables one to shift the wheels from the direction of the one track to the direction of the other track.

The cross-section of the rails is triangular or trapezoid and enlarged to the bottom for ensuring a lateral guide of the Wheels free from play, and the wheels are provided with correspondingly shaped circumferential grooves, For acting against an undesired passing over the track crossing and for enabling that the wheels adjust themselves to the centers of the rail turntables, each of the rail sec tions arranged on the head of a turntable is divided in its center transversely to the longitudinal direction and each rail section is supported near its outer end on a horizontal bearing bolt extending transversely to its longitudinal direction and with its inner end on a pressure ring surrounding the axle of the turntable. When the wheels run on, the rail sections lower equally forming an angle, the legs of which angle cross themselves on the turning axis of the rail turntable. The wheel is supported on two transverse lines of the rail sections arranged at two equal distances on both sides of the turntable center.

The rail sections lap advantageously with their inner ends and the spring supporting these ends is preferably exchangeable or its initial tension is variable. Moreover, a fixed stop, adjustable in height, can be provided limiting the lowering depth of the rail sections.

These means enable a smooth cushion of the shocks caused by running on to the turntable, and the amount of lowering the free ends of the rail sections and the size of the angle enclosed by them can be adjusted so that at the one hand a precise centering of the wheels on the turntables is ensured and at the other hand the pulling of the roll mill frame from the track crossing does not necessitate any unnecessary heavy forces. The simultaneous turning of the rail turntables existing each according to the number of wheels, can be effected by means of a common mechanical or electrical drive.

In a preferred embodiment, the rail turntables are coupled through links and connected to an oil hydraulic cylinder-piston drive or an electrically driven spindle. It is also possible, however, to drive the turntables individually by means of synchronized clectromotors.

The moving in and out of the rolling stand frames travelling on rails arranged perpendicularly to the rolling direction is effected, e.g., by means of a hydraulic push ing device or an electrically driven spindle. For discharging the wheels during operation of the rolling stands, supporting plates can be provided ahead of the gear unit, on which the rolling stand frames are transferred this way that the rails arranged ahead of the gear unit can be raised or lowered or are inclined downwards toward the gear unit. In the latter instance, the rolling stand frames slide on the transition to the working position of the stands as well as when being pushed off this position over a short distance on the supporting plates.

The supporting of the stand frames on stationary supporting plates ensures a special firm upright position of the rolling stand frame and consequently of the rolling stands relative to the gear unit. An exact alignment of the stands to the gear unit can be easily ensured by means of stops and sliding guides. On the rails parallelly extending to the rolling direction as well as the eventual extensions of same leading to a storage and assembling place being offside from same, the rolling stand frames are moved by means of any mobile pulling or pushing machines.

In the drawing, an embodiment for the stand changing unit being the subject of the invention is illustrated in detail. There are represented by:

FIGURE 1, a schematical top view to the stand changing unit including the rolling stands connected to the rolling mill gear unit;

FIGURE 2, seen in rolling direction, the stand changing unit in one position, in which the rolling stands are coupled with the rolling mill gear unit;

FIGURE 3, the stand changing unit as per FIGURE 2 in one position, in which a rolling stand frame is pushed off the gear unit and transferred to the track extending parallelly to the rolling direction; and

FIGURE 4, in enlarged scale a perpendicular section through a rail turntable.

In the schematically shown arrangement of the stand changing unit for continuous rolling trains of FIGURE 1, the rolling stands G fixed on the rolling stand frame 2 are connected through a relevant plurality of couplings K with the stationary rolling mill drive 1, which can comprise a group drive, several single drives or individual motors. The rolling direction is marked by an arrow. Ahead of the gear unit 1, a track is laid in the direction of the gear axles and perpendicularly to the rolling direction comprising two or also more rails 4 crossing at a point spaced from the frame 2 a two-rail track extending parallelly to the rolling direction. At each crossing point of the rails of the two tracks, a rail turntable 3 is arranged. The turntables 3 are coupled one to the other pair by levers 11 and connecting rods and connected through lever 9 and a connecting rod 8 to a cylinderpiston drive 7, by means of which the turntables 3 including the rail sections 6 on them can be turned by 90 in both directions. Each of the rolling stand frames 2 is supported on the rail pairs 4, 5 through wheels, the bearings 13 of which at the rolling stand frame 2 are swivelling fixed around a perpendicular axis. The wheels are provided with circumferential grooves of trapezoid cross-section, through which they are guided at the side on the correspondingly shaped rail 5 and the rail sections 6 of the turntables.

In FIGURE 2, the rolling stand frame 2 is moved in the roll pass line and the stand G are connected through couplings K to the gear unit 1. The rolling stand frame 2 is supported with the lower shoulders 2a on supporting plates 18 connected with the foundation 19, whereas the wheels 12 are lying in lowered sections 4a of the rail 4 without contacting same.

In FIGURE 3, the rolling stand frame 2 with the rolling stands G is moved out of the roll pass line and is standing with its Wheels 12 on one each of the turntables 3.

The equipment for moving the rolling stand frame between the two positions marked in the FIGURES 2 and 3 comprises a hydraulic cylinder-piston drive 14 including the piston rod 15 and the coupling head 16 engaging with a lug 17 swivelling around a bolt 16a in a groove 2b at the rolling stand frame 2.

The rail turntable 3 represented in an enlarged scale in FIGURE 4 comprises essentially a bearing top 3b fixed in a foundation frame 23 with two bearings 21, 22, in which the pin 30 of the turntable 3 can be swivelled around a perpendicular axis. The turntable head 3:: equipped with the pin 3c is provided with a recess corresponding to the Width of the rail for receiving the rail sections 6. These rail sections are divided in their center part transversely to their longitudinal direction. The rail sections 6a and 6b can be swivelled near their extremities around horizontal bearing bolts 20 and 20 and are lying with their lapping inner ends (FIGURE 5) on a cap 25 supported by a pressure spring 24. The lowering depth of the rail sections 6a and 6b is limited by a stop 26 enclosed by a spring and adjustable in the height.

Only the sections of rails 5 lying between the turntables 3 have to extend parallelly to the rolling direction. The remaining rails can be laid so as it corresponds to the course of the transport way.

The rail turntables 3 can also be driven otherwise as shown, e.g., it is possible to provide the rail turntables 3 with gears which are interconnected through shafts and driven by a common motor.

It is also possible to drive each rail turntable by means of an electromotor and to synchronize the electromotors.

In the foregoing specification we have illustrated and described certain presently preferred embodiments of our invention, it will be understood, however, that this invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. Stand changing unit for continuous rolling trains, in which several rolling stand frames each carrying a plurality of interchangeable rolling stands can be moved on Wheels alternately relative to a stationary gear unit conveying the drive of the stands for coupling and uncoupling the stands mounted on them comprising a plurality of support wheels on each rolling stand frame, said wheels being mounted in bearings swivelling around perpendicular axes, a circumferential groove in each wheel, a first trackway extending parallel to the axis of the drive coupling receiving said wheels, at second trackway transverse to and intersecting the first trackway, a rail turntable at each intersection of the first and second trackway turning around perpendicular axes around the crossing angle, the common swivelling of said Wheels permitting the wheels to adjust from the direction of the first track into the direction of the second track.

2. Stand changing unit as per claim 1 wherein the heads of the rails have a triangular or trapezoid crosssection enlarging to the bottom and that the wheels are provided with correspondingly shaped circumferential grooves.

3. Stand changing unit according to claim 1 wherein the rail sections arranged on the turntables are divided in their center parts transversely to the longitudinal direction and the rail sections are supported tiltably near their 5 6 extremities on horizontal bolts and are elastically sup- References Cited ported With their iIl1161' ends. 4. Stand changing unit according to claim 1 wherein the rail sections are overlapping with their inner ends and 3,328,973 7/1967 Schelb 72 239 are supported through a cap on a pressure spring on the 5 FOREIGN PATENTS turntable 703,487 2/1965 Canada.

5. Stand changing unit according to claim 1 wherein the lowering depth of the rail sectlons on the turntables RICHARD L HERBST, Primary Examiner 1s hmited by a stop enclosed by a sprlng and ad ustable in the height. B. J. MUSTAIKIS, Assistant Examiner. 

